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gSCIFF

gSCIFF is a proof procedure, extension of the SCIFF abductive proof procedure, which is able to generate a history that is compliant to a given protocol and achieves a given goal, i.e., the description of an agent interaction which respects a given specification.

The main intended use for gSCIFF is the proof of protocol properties. Properties of a protocol can be divided into two categories: existential properties (which hold for at least one history compliant to the protocol) and universal properties (which hold for all histories compliant to the protocol).

Assuming results of soundness and completeness for gSCIFF, it is possible to prove both existential properties (by expressing them as gSCIFF goals) and universal properties (by expressing their negation as gSCIFF goals).

The ability to prove protocol properties makes gSCIFF a valuable tool for protocol engineering, letting the designer check if the protocol being designed exhibits desirable properties. For example, it is possible to check the well-definedness of a protocol (i.e., the existence of a history that is compliant to the protocol) by checking with gSCIFF if 'true' is an existential property of the protocol.

So far, a soundness result has been proved for gSCIFF, while completeness is still open. This makes gSCIFF suitable for proving existential properties and refuting universal properties, but not yet for refuting existential properties or proving universal properties.